Tool Tackles Alien Algae

摘要

Marine researchers in HAWALL have a new weapon in the battle against alien algae: an underwater vacuum cleaner affectionately named the Super Sucker. In initial tests, the machine in one hour removed up to 800 pounds of invasive algae, which smothersand kills coral. Fabricated and tested in OAHU'S KANEOHE BAY, the Super Sucker (BELOW) is deployed from a 25-foot barge (RIGHT) and operated by crew members from The Nature Conservancy, the University of Hawaii, and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Eric Co, the Conservancy's marine coordinator in Hawaii, developed the device by modifying a gold dredger and outfitting it with a 40-horse-power engine that runs on bio-diesel fuel. According to Co, the work of the Super Sucker is equivalent to the efforts of 150 volunteers and 10 divers. The new tool is one component of a larger strategy to combat non-native algae invasions, which dominate Kaneohe Bay and Oahu's south shore and are also abundant on the south shores of Maui and Molokai. To restore the reefs, the Conservancy and its partners are releasing native algae-eating sea urchins and planting native algae to repopulate the reef after it has been cleaned by the Super Sucker. Local farmers also are involved, recycling algae gatheredby the Super Sucker for use as a fertilizer on taro fields.